Pressure dissipating manifold for bringing in wells



Jan. 12, 1954 J. F. HULSEY 2,665,760

PRESSURE DISSIPATING MANIFOLD FOR BRINGING IN WELLS Filed March 31, 19502 Sheeis-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1954 Filed March 51, 1950 J. F.HULSEY PRESSURE DISSIPATING MANIFOLD FOR BRINGING IN WELLS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 a I N 74 145 E Ill/1.6167

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1954 OFFICE PRESSURE DISSIPATIN G MANIFOLDFOR BRINGING IN WELLS James F. Hulsey, Hamlin, Tex.

Application May 31, 1950, Serial No. 165,348

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a means and method whereby the pressure offluids discharging from a well at the time the well is being broughtinto production for oil and gas, are dissipated to reduce and minimizethe pressure and spraying effect of such fluids.

In the drilling of wells by the rotary method a drilling mud iscirculated into and out of the well bore during the drilling operationand when the drilling is completed, it is usual practice to displace theheavy drilling mud from the well by the circulation of water or someother fluid so as to reduce the pressure on the end formation down inthe well so that the flow of desirable fluids will begin to enter thewell and cause the discharge of the drilling mud, or other fluids fromthe Well head.

In many instances the pressure of discharging fluid at the well head maybe considerable, so that there is substantial spraying of the mud, oil,water and gas into the atmosphere and the area around a well head tosuch an extent that there may be a fire hazard.

It is, therefore, one of the objects of this invention to reduce anddissipate the pressure of the discharging fluids, be they oil, gas orwater, so that the flow is directed into a pit at reduced pressure toavoid a fire hazard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means and method wherebya conduit is connected to the well head and directs the flow into asubstantially enlarged manifold pipe to effect a pressure reduction andwherein a plurality of lateral outlets are therein provided to furtherdissipate the pressure because of the increased area of discharge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a manifold pipe of an areagreater than the discharge from the casing head so that the dischargefrom said manifold is directed into a pit at a smaller pressure toconfine the discharging fluids.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in combinationwith a well head and a ready pit, a structure which includes a pressuredissipating manifold pipe.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent whenthe following description is considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a well head and manifold pipe arranged ina discharge pit for the dissipating of the discharging fluids andpressure.

Fig. 2 is a broken detailed plan view looking down on the manifold toshow its connection to the well head and to the lateral outlets.

In Fig. 1 the well casing 2 extends down into the end formation 3 andhas the flow lines 4 thereon. Various types of fittings 5, valves 6 andadditional outlets I may be provided. A closure 8 and pressure gauge 9form part of the usual and standard equipment.

In adapting the present invention to the well casing a suitable pipe [0is connected to one of the well head fittings and is of such size as toaccommodate a flow of the mud and well fluids.

It is not uncommon to encounter various circulation pressures in a well,sometimes as high as 4,000 or 5,000 pounds per square inch. Thispressure is usually overcome by the pressure of a static column ofdrilling mud in the well. It is usual to encounter a pressure in poundsper square inch in a well which is computed as .45 times the depth ofthe well in feet; thus, in a 10,000 foot well a pressure of 4,500 poundsmay be expected.

As the drilling of the well is completed and the drill stem and drillbit removed, the pressure created by the column of mud in the wellshould exceed this expected well pressure, while the different casingproduction pipes and tubing are being arranged in the well and while thewell head fittings are being assembled.

When such arrangements have been made, it is then usual to pump someother liquid or fluid into the well to displace the heavy mud. As anillustration, sometimes the drilling mud may have a specific gravity ofapproximately 1 /2 or 2, in order to obtain the desired pressure on theformation. If, by circulation, this drilling mud is removed and replacedby water, then the specific gravity will, of course, be reduced to 1,such reduction would permit the inflow of fluids from the well formationand a tendency to blow out the well by forcing the drilling mud, thewater, or the mixture of the two, out of the top of the well; suchdisplacement is required in order to allow the well to flow thereinto atthe well pressure in the obtaining of oil or gas.

It should, therefore, be very evident that once the well head is openedto permit the outflow of the mud and water, that as the water graduallydisplaces the mud the pressure on the casing head will correspondinglyincrease so that the discharge of the fluids and liquids at the wellhead may be under substantial pressure. Their discharge at suchpressures, of course, causes a spraying action, and the practice hascome up of providing an earthen pit l2, best seen in Fig. 1. Theembankment [3 of such a pit serves to confine the mixture of oil, water,mud and gas, while the pressure tends to spray this mixture oversurrounding territory,

The present invention, therefore, contemplates a manifold pipe 2:} whichmay be of substantial diameter, so that the how from the Well and theconduit Hi will be subject to a reduction in pressure because of thelarger area of the manifold pipe 20. For purposes of illustration, butnot limitation, suppose the conduit were a 2 inch pipe, the manifoldpipe could he, say, 4 inches.

This manifold pipe may be of any desired length depending upon thecontemplated volume of flow, but it is shown as extending from the Welland projecting into the pit [2.

If the pipe It, or even the'pipe20,n1erely extended from the well andterminated inaan'open end in the pit, the fluid from the Well would bepropelled against the side of the pit'with considerable force, so that astream'of oil, gas and water might blow many feet into the pit, or outinto the surroundin territory. The result of such a spray of oil and gasladen vapor settling on the surrounding land or objects sets up-a-severefire hazard and damages crops and other installations. This isparticularly true in windyareas. In many instances the contents of thepit l2 are ignited so as to prevent the gas from settling in theadjacent areas.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates the method and means offurther reducing the pressure to discharge through a plurality oflateral outlets which are best seen in Fig. 2.

The pipe 20 is there shown as connected to a swaged nipple 2! whichjoins the conduit ii! and the manifold 29. Spaced along the manifold 20are a plurality of outlet nipples 25, so that the discharge is broken upinto a numberof relatively small discharging streams.

If desired, however, a T 28 may be connected to the nipples and shortadditional nipples 21 laid into each end of the T, as seen in Fig. 2.

In this manner the number of discharge outlets is doubled, and if thepipes 25, the T 26 and the nipples 27 are arranged as shown in Figs. 1and 2, the outlet from the nipple 30, for instance, would discharge indirect opposition to theoutlet from the nipple 31. In this manner,'theflow of one would counteract the other to prevent any spray and to causethe outcoming liquid to drop into the pit [2.

The end of the manifold pipe ZG-may have a coupling 33 and a bull plugMas closing the end.

Any desired series of these attachments may be welded, threaded orotherwise afiixed upon the manifold pipe in either a symmetrical or astaggered arrangement. It is contemplated that the total outlet volumeof all of the nipples 21 will far exceed the volume of the manifoldpipe20, as

into the pit without any spray, while the stream of gas escapesfrom theoutlets in the manifold with little or no force.

The operation of the means and the method 'should'be'readily apparent,and in actual practice the invention has resulted in a very satisfactoryoperation.

'What"is claimed is:

A device for dissipating the Well pressure and fluids at the time ofcompletin the Wellfor production comprising a conduit connected to thewell, a manifold pipe of largerdiameter than said conduit, a pluralityof outlet nipples extending laterally in spaced relation'along saidmanifold, the size of said nipples being such thatthetota'l dischargeareasubsta-ntially exceeds the cross sectional area of said conduit andalso of said manifold so that the pressure at each nipple is reduced toavoid spraying-the fluid discharge, and a cross head on each nipple todischarge longitudinally of said manifold so that the discharge of twoadjacent cross heads intersect and dampen the spray effect each of theother.

JAMES F.5HULSEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 142,413 YPugh Sept. 2,1873 994,155 Harris. June 6, 19111,018,044 Gilmer Febtzo, 1912 1,032,794 Wolf .July 16, 1912 1,497,553Dickman June 10, 1924 1,913,041 Raymond June 6, 1933 1,942,598 HewgleyJan. 9, 1934 1,949,672 Barrier Mar. .6, 1934 1,957,119 Ware May 1, .19342,316,383 Abercrombie Apr. 13, 1943 12,562,328 .Null July 31, 1951FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,369 Great Britain 1892 250,874Germany of 1912

